


star blossom

by dreamcities, hoodiehwi



Series: neo angelic services and co [1]
Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Alternate Universe - High School, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-06-07
Updated: 2018-09-12
Packaged: 2019-05-09 18:52:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 9,200
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14721677
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dreamcities/pseuds/dreamcities, https://archiveofourown.org/users/hoodiehwi/pseuds/hoodiehwi
Summary: FROM: sm@asac.comTO: leetaeyong@nasac.comDear Taeyong, please arrange for N08 Mark Lee’s mission. Also, N04 Chittaphon Ten requires a new disciplinary plan. Thank you.-alternatively; where half of nct run neo angelic services and co, the other half reside in the mortal realm, and their in between.





	1. taeyong

**Author's Note:**

> \- title obviously inspired by [ star blossom ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lpv-mkmddms) by doyoung and sejeong
> 
> this whole fic was born because of the star reflecting off jungwoo's eyes in [ nct 2018 yearbook #01](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z7Ta6W6iqK8) neither of us are writers but we hope you enjoy and stick around for the rest of our shitty fic!
> 
> and [ here ](https://yanchen-s.tumblr.com/post/174659939110/hoodiehwi-star-blossom-one-taeyong-taeyong) is also a moodboard we made

taeyong was a simple man. even his job was, so to say, mundane. “heaven’s Most Preferred secretary” was his most well-known nickname. (though, his personal favourite was the sleepy, gruff “yongie-hyung” from jaehyun when they woke up in the morning. but of course, that was reserved for jaehyun and jaehyun only.)

 

yet, as simple as his job was, that didn’t make it easy in any way. the number of things on his to-do-list in one day alone was enough to make even the strongest of gods cry. it wasn’t a lie though, being called “heaven’s favourite secretary”. taeyong would never admit to being the so-called favourite, but he did have a secretary’s job. that was fine with him. after all, he’d been doing this for nearly an eternity.

 

number one on today’s task list: arrange mark’s first mission. after eons of training, mark was finally old and experienced enough to be able to join the workforce of nasac. he’d have to get an easy mission as a starter, of course. taeyong would rather just throw the newbies into the hardest of missions to let them understand what they were getting into. however, those required supervisors, and they barely had enough people as it was. taeyong could never send one of his perfectly good men on a trip to _supervise_. mark would just have to fend for his own.

 

“hyun-ah,” taeyong called out. as expected, jaehyun instantly popped his head in through the doorframe at taeyong’s call. “can you help me call mark in? i need to give him his mission brief.” jaehyun’s eyes, though already brilliant enough to light up the entire world - taeyong’s world, at least - brightened.

 

“sure, hyung! what do you have in mind for him?”

 

“i was thinking of getting him to do something simple, but the only thing that i can find on the listings today that he’s suitable for is case 361. car accident along sejong-daero road 42, seoul. two ascended. assistance is required to sort out the paths for them, console family, and inspect the injured and hospitalised. he should be able to do that, right?” taeyong frowned. it was a rather big job to assign a rookie without supervision.

 

“mark’s capable, he’s trained so hard for this, hyung. but if you’re worried, we also have another vacancy that might be easier for him? ten was supposed to cover case 422 before he, you know, got otherwise _preoccupied_. i can call up exoasac or svtasac to ask for help on case 361 or i can just do it myself, so you don’t have to worry about that anymore, hyung. i’ll go get mark for you now.” jaehyun didn’t bother to wait for taeyong’s response, immediately darting out of his office.

 

case 422. it was one of the normal, common cases that were usually left to the rookie teams like skasac, even nasac themselves when they were younger. a simple trip down to earth: seek out a teenage boy, jisung, and his sick labrador puppy. a birth from a puppy mill, the puppy already started its life in bad health and was suffering from a bad illness. the job required the agent to end the puppy’s suffering and help escort it to doggy heaven, while helping the boy get through his pet’s death.

 

taeyong sighed. mark _really was_ well-trained and completely capable of handling bigger missions, he couldn’t possibly screw up a relatively simple case like case 422, right?

 

_—_

 

 _“i have bad news,”_ jaehyun’s email read. _“mark’s mission didn’t go so well.”_

 

_—_

 

mark stepped into taeyong’s office sheepishly. taeyong glowered at him.

 

“mark lee minhyung, what did you do.”

 

mark didn’t answer, merely curling up on himself even more than humanly possible. taeyong could _feel_ his embarrassment. mark was a smart boy, he knew what he did, knew why taeyong was so angry, why he was so worried.

 

“talk to me. from the beginning,” taeyong prompted, this time gentler in tone.

 

“it was fine at first, i did the steps like you taught - blend in, approach target, engage in conversation, everything, really! it’s just - hyung, jisung was so sad. what's more, his dog wasn’t even a dog yet, it was just a puppy and it didn’t deserve to be put down so early or to even get that dumb illness in the first place. jisung was _so happy_ when i told him i could save his puppy, i couldn’t bear to disappoint him. i’m sorry, hyung.”

 

_—_

 

_STEP ONE: BLEND IN_

_to be honest, mark has always thought the academy never helped much with step one. “do not attract attention, and behave like all others near you”? too vague for anyone. sneaking out with jeno when the instructors were in a meeting, watching street performers, buying a truly ridiculous amount of food, and bringing back a similarly ridiculous number of cans of beer back for ten? much better training. except jeno is probably doing something with doyoung, ten had better not be getting drunk or even drinking at all, mark’s on a mission and just ticked step one off the list._

 

_STEP TWO: APPROACH TARGET_

_the boy is there, alright, sitting in a tidy garden, sun shining down on his lanky form and tiny puppy. why did jaehyun send him on this mission? he's going to be all mushy before he completes his task. work is work, though, and mark leans over the fence, calling out._

_“hey, jisung, right?”_

 

_STEP THREE: ENGAGE IN CONVERSATION_

_the boy looks up, confusedly pointing to himself. looks like mark didn't screw up with the characteristic identification after all. “yeah, you!” mark continues, “from the high school dance team, right? i, uh, kind of just moved here and already heard a bunch about you guys? thought i’d say hi.” this time the boy–jisung, right–cracks a little smile, “well then, welcome to the neighbourhood...hyung? thanks for recognising me, i suppose.” oh, mark’s definitely on the right track._

 

_STEP FOUR: ACKNOWLEDGE PROBLEM_

_“say, is that your puppy? is it alright?” mark watches jisung’s smile slide right off his face, and then rethinks his life decisions. he didn't sign up for consoling nice tall teens about their pets when he started training for nasac. “yeah,” jisung mumbles, looking away from mark, “min’s got this disease. i’ve really only had him for two months, but he’s a great companion and i’ll miss him a lot.”_

 

_STEP FIVE: PROVIDE ASSISTANCE_

_this is the part mark is never that good at. what's he supposed to do now? just do what he was assigned and leave? mark can’t just leave jisung there all sad and lonely. “that's really a shame,” he says after a pregnant pause, “can i come in and say hi to min?” jisung doesn't even hesitate, nodding at the unlocked gate that mark is already pushing open. mark plops himself down on the grass, across jisung. the moment he lays a hand on min mark regrets his decision a little. min is even smaller than mark had thought when he was standing outside the gate, and he’s shaking noticeably even in the 30 degree weather. mark knows that min doesn't deserve this, knows that jisung deserves a companion, but mark’s also on a mission. so he gets ready to give jisung the good old “death is inevitable and more happiness will come” talk (just like in the academy handbook!) but instead he finds himself saying–_

 

_“y’know, jisung, i’m pretty sure min can get better. just need to help him out a little.”_

 

_STEP SIX: OTHER NECESSARY ACTIONS_

_mark doesn’t wait for jisung’s reply, doesn’t wait for his logic to override his instinct. his palm remains on min’s trembling body, and mark concentrates, concentrates like how the academy taught him to. min shudders suddenly, and for a moment mark is afraid that he’d done exactly the opposite of what he intended to. fortunately min simply abruptly stands and bounces right into jisung’s lap, yapping and pawing at jisung, who snaps to some kind of realisation and throws mark a truly innocent, “who are you? how did you do that?”_

 

_mark regrets his decisions for the second time within five minutes._

 

_“um. well. i’m minhyung? my parents are...vets. yeah. and uh. i guess i’ve hung around enough to know a few things. haha. uh, it’s pretty late now so i’ve got to go! goodbye!”_

  


_mark leaves as suddenly as he came, and if jisung called out, “see you around, hyung!” to him while he was running down the street, he didn’t turn back, didn’t until he turned the street corner to disa–_

 

_oh, an email from jaehyun. the subject is “MARK”, uppercase and all._

_“mark, what’s the note below step six in the academy handbook? the one we bolded and had you guys highlight? report to me the instant you return.”_

_what was it again?_

 

_NOTE: PROCEED WITH CAUTION, MAKE INFORMED DECISIONS, AND APPROACH SECRETARIES FOR HELP IF NECESSARY_

_ah, well._

 

_—_

 

“i’m sorry, hyung,” mark repeated.

 

of course mark would. the one who had the biggest heart, couldn’t possibly hurt a fly. _not suited for this life_ , taeyong thought.

 

“mark, you know the rules. we’re not supposed to interfere with lives of those in the mortal realm, especially not in direct contact with an actual mortal. you could’ve been found out, _in danger_ , mark. who knows what jisung might think, might _say_?” taeyong pursed his lips. “and we’ve gone through this before, mark. they might not deserve it, but-”

 

“but it’s not our place to decide that, just get the job, finish the job.” mark said, sighing. taeyong looked upon him with sympathy.

 

“tell you what, i’ll talk to the higher-ups, make sure they don't do too much. you know there's a punishment for breaking the rules, so for now, you can just do something for me, alright? i think you don't understand the mortal realm well enough, and the possible consequences of breaking the rules on both us and the mortals.” mark moved to interrupt before being stopped by taeyong. “that's completely on me, i should've known better, taught you better.”

 

“i want you to go down there, the mortal realm, for one month,” taeyong continued. “one month to find me the sweetest thing you can find in the mortal realm. what it is to you. learn what love is, what it means to the mortals. interact with them, understand them better. feel free to email me or jaehyun anytime and try your luck with that answer, but make use of your one month, mark. it’s a short time. ”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> our tumblrs: [jess](https://yanchen-s.tumblr.com) / [yan yi](https://hoodiehwi.tumblr.com)


	2. jaemin

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “-the birds were chirping, the sun was shining, the flowers were blooming. but it was as if the moon stopped orbiting and the stars came down to greet him as he walked in-”
> 
> “donghyuck, you absolute sock, it's like 3pm.” jaemin said, exasperated.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hello [ here ](https://yanchen-s.tumblr.com/post/174885051910/star-blossom-two-jaemin-the-birds-were) is the moodboard that was terribly problematic

jaemin leaned against the counter of renjun’s flower shop ( _“it isn't my shop, jaemin, i just work here.” “yeah but i only ever see you here,” “that's because you're only here for me, jaemin.”_ ). almost the whole gang was here, gathered around the small, flower-filled table - chenle, from choir practice; jisung, from dance practice; renjun, actively looking out to the door for any possible customers coming in and witnessing their questionable conversation. the only one missing was donghyuck, across the street at the family bakery waiting for his break.

 

“-no, i’m telling you, min was _dying_. he's been sick for weeks, barely moving and having occasional seizures. then this boy, halo and wings and angelic glow, whatever, comes and talks to me, - said his name’s minhyung - _does something_ , and now min’s suddenly not sick anymore. i run out of energy before he does!”

 

“i’m just happy that your mom won't know that you nearly killed her birthday present to you after what, two days?”

 

“excuse you, i’ve had min for two months now. and it’s not as if my mom would ever even notice or care if anything happened to min. she probably wouldn’t even notice if i got arrested. it probably was her secretary who got me min, not her.” jisung scoffed, rolling his eyes.

 

ah yes, jisung’s mother. bad enough that she’s a single mother, jisung a birth from a night of mistakes, but the least she could do was to spend some _time_ with jisung. he basically lived full-time in the dance studio nowadays. ( _yixing hyung adored him._ ) at least she had a nice secretary. joohyun noona always gave jisung gifts, especially on his birthday (probably because of the dates written on her employer’s calendar that she often ignored), sending them under her employer’s name.

 

as the squabble between chenle and jisung behind him escalated, jaemin let his mind roam as he stared out of the shop. he spotted sicheng and jungwoo, walking side by side to the lee’s bakery opposite. he lifted in arm and waved to them in greeting, watching as they waved back, before slipping into the store. _store of diabetes,_ jaemin’s mind provided.

 

“where’s hyuck? he should be here by now.” renjun’s voice cut through jaemin’s thoughts.

 

“god, they’re noisy,” jaemin said. “i pity your plants having to listen to them all the time. give me a moment, i’ll text hyuck.” he lifted his phone, opening their joint groupchat.

 

**spare the strawberries [5 members]**

**(ba)nana!:** hey hyuck wru

…

 **hYUCK:** sorry sorry mom made me stay longer to help out bc its p busy rn

 **hYUCK:** hey i see sicheng hyung and jungwoo hyung

 **injunnie uwu:** say hi to sicheng ge for me!!

 **injunnie uwu:** oh and jungwoo hyung too!

 **(ba)nana!:** renjun you live with him

 **(ba)nana!:** anw hyuck when are you coming over

 **(ba)nana!:** chenle and jisung are being noisy again

 **hYUCK:** wait ill ask mom but no promises

 **hYUCK:** lmao when arent they

 **hYUCK:** damn i dont think i can come to the flower shop but mom says aft my shift i can go to yukhei hyung’s to hang

 **hYUCK:** if yall are up to it? ill ask jwoo hyung now

 **injunnie uwu:** okay!!

 **(ba)nana!:** yeah sure

 **park godsung:** im down

 **screeching:** ^^

…

 **hYUCK:** damn hyung says we cant bc yukhei hyung has a guest around

 **(ba)nana!** : guest?

 **(ba)nana!:** my house instead ig

 **hYUCK:** yeah some dude from canada??

 **hYUCK:** cool ill meet u guys there

 **hYUCK:** ok need to stop texting b4 my sis kills me lmao bye

 

jaemin wasn’t that surprised that yukhei had another guest over. the tall boy was oddly sociable. there was once they all went to his apartment to find that he had two guests over - one from america and one from thailand. where he even made all his friends was a recurring mystery to jaemin. he couldn’t remember any instance of jungwoo telling him about how much yukhei has travelled the world, and jungwoo tells everyone _everything_ about yukhei.

 

“okay okay, what if he’s an ALIEN who came down to earth to steal all dogs and when ‘saving min’, he actually took a part of his soul!” chenle proclaimed, waving his phone around in the air wildly. jaemin rolled his eyes. park jisung and zhong chenle, everyone. name a better, wilder duo.

 

just as he settled down to listen to the two’s (crackhead) banter, the phone in his pocket proceeded to vibrate violently.

 

**spare the strawberries [5 members]**

**hYUCK:** QWEFODWQLGFEQFNJKFEVGJDWQLQDWVHJL

 **hYUCK:** HOLY SUHTIS HOLYSHITSUN,GENORE,SFB

 **hYUCK:** UWHWHNIVEUOWNUBGEWHHAJGRSHJGSFUIGH

 **hYUCK:** HHHHHBEGRHHHBHFRHFBHH OLYSHIT OHY H ODSG OH. YGOD

 **(ba)nana!:** what happened now

 **injunnie uwu:** did you break the eletctric mixer again

 **hYUCK:** exCUSE ME THAT HAPPENED ONE (1) TIME

 **hYUCK:** but no

 **(ba)nana!:** then what

…

 **(ba)nana!:** hyuck where did u go

 **(ba)nana!:** don’t leave us hanging this is the first time ive felt alive in years

 **(ba)nana!:** lee donghyuck pleas,

 **injunnie uwu:**?? hyuck are you okay

…

 **hYUCK:** no im not okay

 **hYUCK:** im

 **(ba)nana!:** omfg what happened do you need help

 **hYUCK:** no i dont need help

 **hYUCK:** im

 **hYUCK:** in LOVE

 **hYUCK:** uwu

 **(ba)nana!:** what

 **injunnie uwu:** what

 **park godsung:** what

 **screeching:** what

 **hYUCK:** ill tell yall at jaem’s!! uwuwuwuwuwuwu

 

 _what,_ jaemin thought. _donghyuck, in love?_

 

—

 

“ _-the birds were chirping, the sun was shining, the flowers were blooming. but it was as if the moon stopped orbiting and the stars came down to greet him as he walked in-_ ”

 

“donghyuck, you absolute _sock_ , it's like 3pm.” jaemin said, exasperated.

 

donghyuck paused his monologue, bending down to smack jaemin on the shoulder. he then flopped himself down onto the floor, swooning. “can you blame me?” he cooed. “i’m in _love!_ ”

 

chenle scoffed. “yeah, hyung, with some dude you've never met. what if he's a serial killer-”

 

he was interrupted by an excited renjun - bless his soul -  bouncing about at his place by jaemin’s side. “hyuck, what's mystery boy like? was he hot? was he tall? oh my god, how deep was his voice?”

 

“thank you, renjun, my only supporter!” donghyuck huffed, “he’s _perfect._ he’s one of those people who are like, hot, but also unbelievably cute, and he isn’t that much taller than me. i didn’t hear his voice at all but that’s fine because what matters is the _sight_ of him as he peered into the display case. _somehow_ i had the nerve to interrupt this serene, beautiful, peaceful being, and asked him if he needed help, and oh, his EYES. his _eyes_. can you believe that mystery boy holds the depth of the oceans in his eyes? no? it’s okay, i didn’t think it was possible until he came along.”

 

jisung (braver than the us marines, he was) patted donghyuck on the shoulder. “hyuckadoodle, my best ma - _hyung_ , you're delusional.” chenle, perched on the back of the sofa, ever supportive of jisung, nodded violently (jaemin isn’t even sure how one can nod violently, but “fervently” is definitely too weak a word for chenle’s aggressive head bobbing).

 

“hyung, really, you’ve seen him _once_. you don’t even know what he sounds like! what if his voice is really squeaky, or like, hey, remember that teenage boy with the voice like an old man on hello counsellor?” chenle proposed.

 

donghyuck doesn’t miss a beat as he shoots back, “it doesn’t matter! i got a smile! i know that we had the “hyuck is the sun” agreement, but i feel like i’ve been blinded by mystery boy’s smile. i bet he sounds like sunshine and lemonade. and mmm, he laughs like how chenle’s _glorious_ trilling sounds. but that’s the last time i’m complimenting you for your piano skills.”

 

jaemin sighed again. _how many times_ have they told hyuck that being sun-kissed doesn’t make you the sun? “okay, okay, enough boy talk. you're just reminding all of us that we're lonely and single. anyway, have you guys seen onf and a.c.e’s comebacks?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> the [ hello counsellor boy ](https://m.youtube.com/watch?feature=youtu.be&v=x3xuw5A00dM) was a thing jess watched the episode twice and hopes he’s doing well
> 
> —> shoot your shot and guess who’s chapter is next in the comments! (we don’t have any prize but. love and appreciation,)


	3. kun

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> he blinks at kun, mind hazy from sleep. kun waits for mark to start processing.
> 
> ten seconds pass. kun can practically see a lightbulb click in mark’s head as he yelps, “kun hyung!”
> 
> “i’m glad you still remember my name after two days, mark,” kun says dryly. he pulls mark to his feet, slapping him on the back. “go wash up. i’ll bring you out.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [chapter moodboard!](https://hoodiehwi.tumblr.com/post/175163008340/star-blossom-three-kun-he-blinks-at-kun-mind)

“hyung, you need to stop worrying so much. he'll be fine! you _know_ what you're expecting from this, so just wait and see.”

 

jaehyun's voice drifted out from taeyong’s open office door, where kun stood waiting. soon, he heard taeyong’s reply.

 

“yeah, but we both know that my _expectations_ bring their own problems. it doesn’t help that mark is around the same age as he was. as much i want mark - both of them -  to be happy, i don’t want him to become another-”

 

from where this was heading, kun felt like he was invading into a private conversation. he cleared his throat, gently knocking on the door. jaehyun‘s head popped out in an instant. “hey, kun hyung! sorry for holding you up, you can go in and see the boss man now!”

 

kun watched as jaehyun made his way back to his own desk outside taeyong’s private office. their relationship was a rather special one, he felt. they fit perfectly, much like yin and yang - where taeyong lacked, jaehyun filled in, and vice versa. he still had many, many years left but he yearned to find a relationship like the one they had, one day. _nasac, my one and only love,_ kun chuckled internally.

 

that wasn’t always the case, however. kun originated from the chinese branch of exoasac. mentored by wu yifan himself, he was conditioned to strict beliefs and culture. _(“ge, if xiumin ge is technically older than you, why isn’t he in charge?” “remember when i said that the koreans had to transfer some of their people here? xiumin isn’t from here, he’s from the korean branch. given that i was already in charge before he came, he wasn’t going to change that anytime soon. it wasn’t much of a change for him anyway, their leader is one younger than him too. the koreans run things differently from us, so don’t be too alarmed if you ever come into contact with them.”)_

 

when he was relocated to nasac - a shortage of manpower, they said - he’d thought taeil was the in-charge here. he was soon proven wrong, seeing lee taeyong standing at the helm of the operation, clearly the “boss man” here. long story short, kun was happy to follow under taeyong’s leadership.

 

as he approached the table in the middle of the room, taeyong lifted his head and smiled at him . “hi, kun! i’m pretty sure you don’t require a briefing, so, case 398. i’ve just emailed you the details. also, um,” taeyong paused. he looked as if he wanted to say something, but was also trying to hold himself back at the same time. “you know what happened to mark, i presume. could you do me a favour and help me check up on him? you don’t have to if it’s too much work though, i’m just stressing over nothing. i’d do it myself, of course, but paperwork and i have-”

 

kun cuts him off there. of course he’ll check on mark, he - as well as the rest of the nasac team - loves that boy fiercely. also, he’d do anything taeyong asked him to. he tells this much to taeyong, who lets out a breath of relief. (kun’s rather offended that taeyong assumed he’d refuse. (nobody could deny taeyong anything. except maybe jaehyun.))

 

“great! you’ll be able to find him at-” taeyong seems to realise something then, and approaches his next words with caution. “wong yukhei’s place. xuxi - you know the one.”

 

of course he does.

 

—

 

as kun walks through the familiar hallway towards xu- yukhei’s apartment, he’s met with the sight of yukhei’s boyfriend, bag slung across one shoulder and typing furiously on his phone with a hand, the other clutching on a water bottle and granola bar. he’s seemingly just left his apartment, probably on the way to some class.

 

 _jungwoo_ , kun remembers. he rather likes jungwoo. he recalls their first meeting, a couple months after everything settled and nasac was operating as normal. kun was sent on a long-term mission and offered to stay at yukhei’s place during that time. when he arrived at the apartment door, he was greeted by jungwoo - friendly, bright eyed, tall, soft voice, (a nice face). he understood right there and then why yukhei was in love with him. _(why he was willing to give up everything for him.)_

 

_kun wanted to hate him. he yearned to feel even a little bit of anger towards the person who stole xuxi from him. but he couldn’t. he truly, truly couldn’t bring himself to hate any inch of jungwoo. he saw how happy jungwoo made xuxi. jungwoo wasn’t a perfect guy, but he was obviously perfect for xuxi. it didn’t help that everything kun lacked, he saw in jungwoo._

 

jungwoo shoves his phone in his pocket, smiling at kun.“hey, kun hyung! are you on another long term? our place will be rather crowded, but we’re happy to accommodate! yukhei’s still inside sleeping, though,” he backtracks from his place in the corridor to help kun unlock the door. kun returns his own smile in gratitude, chuckling.

 

“wouldn’t expect anything else from him, of course. but no, i’ll probably not be put on a long term for a while, i’m just here to check on mark. he’s inside, right?” jungwoo lets out a noise of understanding, nodding in reply. they exchange a few more words, ended by jungwoo’s need to meet his friend to study.

 

kun enters jungwoo and yukhei’s relatively clean apartment, stopping at the sight in front of him. yukhei is sprawled out over the couch, legs propped up on the armrest and one arm hanging in the air awkwardly. kun bypasses him quickly, not bothering to wake the giant up. there, he sees mark lying on the floor in front of the sofa, carrying a bird nest on his head. judging by the controllers neatly placed on the coffee table that’s been moved to the side, (probably done by jungwoo), kun doesn’t doubt that the two boys stayed up late playing video games, knocking out after a few hours.

 

he squats down and prods mark in the cheek twice. after five seconds of buffering, mark’s eyes shoot open and he sits up instantly. he blinks at kun, mind hazy from sleep. kun waits for mark to start processing.

 

ten seconds pass. kun can practically see a lightbulb click in mark’s head as he yelps, “kun hyung!”

 

“i’m glad you still remember my name after two days, mark,” kun says dryly. he pulls mark to his feet, slapping him on the back. “go wash up. i’ll bring you out.”

 

—

 

the two walk down the street side by side, embracing seoul’s chilly spring air. kun nudges mark’s shoulder. “what’s up with you now?” he asks, mouth curling up in a small smile. he does agree with taeyong that this is a good experience for mark, like a first “immersion trip”. kun, of course, knows all about what happened. it’s not a question of things, but all of nasac just _know_ . they need to, especially when it comes to cases where some angels are otherwise compromised. _(there weren’t many secrets kept among nasac. except maybe with taeyong. they never really knew what he was up to.)_

 

much to kun’s amusement, mark lets out a big sigh. he proceeds to give kun a detailed recount of his earthly adventures: how he arrived in earth and went straight to yukhei’s place, welcomed by yukhei, jungwoo, and jungwoo’s friend sicheng who just happened to be there at the time. _(“sicheng hyung’s cool. i think you’ll like him, hyung. i can take you to meet him later._ _he’s chinese too!” ~~“mark, that’s racist.”~~ _ _)_

 

mark tells him about how they recommended one place known for sweet treats, and him following their advice to ask other locals around their opinions to be able to find sweet stuff. _(“it’s called ‘sugar fix’, isn’t that cool? almost everyone i asked recommended it.” “and how many people did you ask?” “uh. three,”)_ he had gone to the shop and looked around, but ended up not getting anything and instead ran away like the coward he was. _(“don’t twist my story, hyung! it’s just that the cashier there kept staring and me and it was stressing me out so i couldn’t buy anything in peace.” “[sounds like he likes you!] but was he cute though,” “hyung!”)_

 

kun isn't surprised. what a mark thing it was to do. but he’d be damned if he’d allow it to happen again. now with a plan in hand, kun makes mark bring him to the cake shop he spoke of in his story. _might as well meet that sicheng boy too._ eventually, they find themselves face to face with the “infamous” sugar fix.

 

kun notes the exterior of the shop, with pale pinks and yellows, as vibrant as the flowers in the shop across the street. it’s a corner store, with windows running along the whole length. he can peer right into the store to examine the customers scattered around the place, sitting at small tables and booths. (how many people ate cake at 11 in the morning? apparently, a lot.) and ah, there was the display case. even from the outside the cakes are truly–let’s just say they have a generous amount of cream on them. the strawberry shortcakes seem popular when kun glances at the occupants of the store, and he can see someone behind the counter sneaking one out of a large bowl. _huh_.

 

mark pushes open the door of the store, holding it for kun to enter. the boy at the counter looks up from his phone upon hearing their entrance, gaze sweeping over kun and landing on mark. kun watches as the boy’s face turns a deep red and he turns back to his phone instantly. _oh, he really likes mark, doesn't he?_ kun smirks to himself. reaching out, he ~~shoves~~ gently nudges mark towards the counter.

 

“go buy something,” kun says, looking around. he spots jungwoo sitting by the window with another boy, textbooks and papers scattered around a tiny round table. “get me a slice of the strawberry shortcake. i’ll go sit with jungwoo.”

 

kun navigates his way in between the tables, walking up to jungwoo's table. jungwoo looks up from his textbooks and grins, cheering, “hyung! you got mark out of the house!” he grabs the arm of the boy beside him - _probably the sicheng boy -_ excitedly. “winko-hyung, meet kun, he's yukhei's friend!”

 

‘winko-hyung’ removes his airpods, lifting his head to smile at kun. kun remembers what mark said about him being chinese, and switches to chinese to say, “ _hey, sicheng, right?_ ” the blond boy’s eyes instantly light up as he nods in response. for jungwoo’s sake, kun continues his next sentence back in korean. “mark told me about you. it’s nice to meet you!”

 

after formalities are exchanged, kun asks the two friends about the boy at the counter. lee donghyuck, goes by haechan, son of the owner. works here for his summer break, and apparently good friends with sicheng’s little brother, renjun. he turns to inspect mark and donghyuck interacting by the counter.

 

both boys’ faces were flushed red, and they seemed to not be able to look each other in the eye. _interesting._ donghyuck points to the board on the counter next to him, explaining something to mark while simultaneously being very engrossed in the marble counter. the exchange comes to a conclusion as mark moves to hand him money for the cake.

 

“hey,” kun turns back to jungwoo and sicheng. “i can’t stay for much longer, got a job to finish. do me a favour and help me look out for mark? he really should make more friends while he’s here,” he glances back at the counter, where donghyuck is frantically typing on his phone while mark walks towards their table. “you can try and get him to talk more to the haechan boy. i’m sure they’ll be good friends.”

 

—

 

they step out of sugar fix, leaving jungwoo and sicheng inside to do their work in peace. mark stretches dramatically, yawning. (it's 12:27pm, mark.) “damn, that strawberry shortcake was so good! sweet, but so good.” the lightbulb clicks in mark’s head again. “hyung, i bet this is what taeyong hyung is looking for! it’s definitely the sweetest thing here, for sure,”

 

kun nods slowly. “yeah, sure. look, mark, i gotta go now. still on call, remember?” hearing his words, mark pouts. “the others will most likely come over and visit soon. you’ll be fine, kiddo.” kun reaches out his arm and fistbumps mark.

  
he knows, of course, that what taeyong really wants is _nothing_ close to cake. he expected more of mark, but he knows that the boy could be really foolish at time, he really isn’t in a place to spoil taeyong’s mission. besides, where’s the fun in that?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> responsible hyung kun in the house! can you tell who's gonna be next?


	4. jungwoo

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> jungwoo, quiet where yukhei was loud, took his time to examine yukhei and understand his speech. soon enough, after spending so much time with him, jungwoo could understand yukhei perfectly. whatever jumble of words came from him when he was excited, jungwoo could understand. yukhei language, and jungwoo mastered it perfectly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this chapter's [ moodboard ](https://yanchen-s.tumblr.com/post/175627378555/star-blossom-four-jungwoo-jungwoo-quiet-where) !

jungwoo pokes yukhei in the shoulder. 

 

once, twice. 

 

third time’s a charm - yukhei actually responds. by grunting. 

 

jungwoo will  _ not _ abandon this mission yet. he moves to poke yukhei’s cheek instead.  “yukhei, babe , you should at least move to the bed, you’re gonna get cramps later,” he chides softly. the boy in question huffs in his sleep. jungwoo definitely cannot and will not even try to lift yukhei - he’s 185cm of pure muscle, and whatever junk food he consumed throughout his video game binging hours ago.

 

he glances at mark instead. perhaps he could make him move instead. the floor couldn’t be very comfortable, jungwoo wouldn’t want any of his guests to suffer, least of all mark.  _ (“he’s the youngest active angel in nasac! this is only his second time in this realm alone, isn’t that cute?”)  _

 

jungwoo gently shakes mark’s arm. in response, he turns on his side - away from jungwoo - and snuggles into their floor. their hard, wooden floor. how could jungwoo possibly interrupt the poor boy’s sleep?

 

jungwoo  _ will _ abandon this mission now.

 

—

 

jungwoo and yukhei’s relationship didn’t start off easy. it never was, until now. now, it just  _ was. _ jungwoo had never met someone so similar to his wavelength but yet not at all. it didn’t matter that jungwoo wanted to use the tv for football while yukhei was watching his dramas. they lived in a silent. comforting compromise, and they just  _ were _ . 

 

yukhei was special. even after months of living with jungwoo, living in korea, he still retained his thick hong kong accent and stumbled over his grammar and vocabulary regularly.

 

_ (when jungwoo first met taeyong, taeyong told him that angels could normally speak any language fluently if the situation required it. except yukhei wasn’t like that; he already knew and memorised five languages, but could never lose his hong kong roots. jungwoo thought it was cute.) _

 

because of that, it was harder for others to understand him. yukhei had had a hard time speaking to sicheng, before realising he was chinese and proceeding to intertwine chinese into his korean words. sicheng still couldn’t understand him at times. 

 

jungwoo, quiet where yukhei was loud, took his time to examine yukhei and understand his speech. soon enough, after spending so much time with him, jungwoo could understand yukhei perfectly. whatever jumble of words came from him when he was excited, jungwoo could understand.  _ yukhei language,  _ and jungwoo mastered it perfectly. 

 

—

 

jungwoo picks up the video game controllers from where they lay on the ground, weirdly placed very far away from each other - one by mark's hand, the other having made its way into their one houseplant. jungwoo won't question it. placing them neatly on the table, he also collects the empty chips bags on the coffee table, throwing them away. that's better. 

 

checking the time, he realises it's probably time for him to leave the apartment now. he wouldn't want to be late to meet sicheng. (god knows how sicheng would scold him. jungwoo would like to avoid that, thank you very much.) 

 

jungwoo shuffles towards their small apartment kitchen, pulling out a neatly placed stack of post-its from the counter drawer. he writes down a message for yukhei, sticking it onto the door of the fridge.

 

_ yukhei:  _

_ good morning! i’ve gone to sugar fix to study w sicheng hyung, i know you’re prolly lazy so there’s some food in the fridge for you. just heat it up for a few minutes and it should be fine. i’ll be back for dinner! see you then!!  _

 

_ <3, woo _

 

_ — _

 

jungwoo doesn’t know when it really started happening. perhaps it was him being “lazy” to text yukhei to update him; perhaps it was yukhei constantly ignoring his phone for his dramas, his video games. 

 

perhaps it was them, trying to find a compromise with the technologically evolving world - keeping their physical post-it notes instead of imessage receipts as representations of  _ their _ ever-evolving relationship. call it old-fashioned, but jungwoo loved having the post-it system with yukhei. 

 

normally it’s jungwoo writing majority of the notes. he’s the one who decided to be “ _ brave” _ and sign up for the 8am classes much unlike yukhei, who decided to play it safe and keep his morning schedule open. just in case. (mostly to fuel his late night/early morning drama marathons. jungwoo swears yukhei’s going to go mad one day watching so many shows. goblin who?)

 

in the beginning, yukhei tried to hide the stack of scribbled-on post-its stuffed into his sock drawer. that plan was foiled pretty much immediately. yukhei and jungwoo didn’t  _ do  _ secrets.  _ (surprises, on the other handwere a very much different thing.) _

 

after jungwoo confronted him about it, yukhei had blushed, before proclaiming, “they’re like a part of you! i can’t just  _ throw them away _ , that’s like deleting photos of you! you already know i can’t do that,” jungwoo does know that, as proven by yukhei’s gallery folder named: “my mans”, containing a total of 11386 photos of just jungwoo. it was cute (and embarrassing). 

 

now, yukhei proudly displays his collection of notes pasted on the wall in their room. 

 

—

 

_ woo: _

_ if u happen to wake up earlier than i planned, DO NOT WORRY! i have gone out to buy food to make u a surprise breakfast so this note is just in case so u don’t accidentally run away! uwu love u <33333333333 _

 

_ p.s. happy birthday in advance _

_ -he who shall not be named hahahahaha _

 

_ — _

 

sicheng did seem to enjoy kun’s presence, jungwoo muses, as the two chatter about home and kun’s recipes and sicheng’s anatomy homework that now lay untouched on the table. jungwoo can only be relieved that they converse in korean instead of mandarin – that one soup kun mentioned and sicheng scribbled down on the back of his worksheet sounded like something yukhei would like. 

 

mark, scarfing down the slice of strawberry shortcake that jungwoo is sure was kun’s, was obviously not paying the conversation any attention and unsubtly staring at haechan at the counter. how mark never noticed that haechan was ogling right back at him, jungwoo didn’t know. kids this days–sometimes they’re really oblivious. but to be fair, he had been with yukhei too.

 

kun and sicheng have somehow seamlessly slipped into mandarin by now, excluding jungwoo (unintentionally, he hopes) from the conversation, so jungwoo watches mark finish the cake, then tries to finish his essay –  _ has yukhei woken up yet? _ – but the words were blending together and –  _ oh, jungwoo would love to take a nap, do you think yukhei would be taking up the whole bed again?  _ – and ah, sicheng’s nudging him in the side. when will he learn that “in between jungwoo’s ribs” is not a good place to poke, even if it does wake him up? 

 

it’s time to go, he registers, and he blearily packs up. “woo,” jungwoo hears sicheng say, “if i asked really nicely, do you think kun would teach me how to cook hotpot? i’m terrible in the kitchen, you know it.”

 

well, kun’s a busy guy. if only sicheng knew.

 

_ — _

 

sugar fix held its own very special place in jungwoo's heart. cheesy as it sounds, some of his favourite memories were made in the small shop.  conveniently located just by the outskirts of campus - two blocks away from his apartment - sicheng and jungwoo frequented sugar fix nearly daily. in fact, without sugar fix, they probably wouldn't have grown so close.

 

the two first met in that one bio lab jungwoo had to take for _some_ _reason._ it all turned out for the better, as the partners eventually bonded over their mutual love for sugar fix (and their strawberry shortcake, a truly heavenly thing). soon enough, jungwoo met sicheng’s younger brother, renjun.

 

it was a funny story, really. jungwoo first saw renjun when sicheng was sick and absent from class, and smiled at the young worker from the flower store. it was after multiple short meetings (renjun came over to buy cake during his break, and also to talk to hyuck by the counter, why didn't haechannie say they were friends?) that they ran into each other while sicheng was present. 

 

from there, jungwoo had gotten to know renjun, and donghyuck and jaemin alongside. it was through the two years that he'd watched his best friend’s sibling grow and mature to the high school senior he was now. he saw as renjun took the new chinese transfer student under his wing, and with him, the young dancing prodigy.

 

sometimes, just sometimes, jungwoo wonders - what is it really like to have a younger brother? he supposes renjun is the closest answer he will ever know.

 

_ — _

 

jungwoo spots extra shoes outside his and yukhei’s door from the other side of the hallway, which means that yukhei is awake, and they have visitors – ten and johnny, maybe? jungwoo wouldn’t be surprised. sicheng, typing frantically on his phone, seems to be blissfully unaware of the extra people he’s going to encounter, and maybe it’d be good if it stayed that way for now. 

 

jungwoo pushes the door open, kicking off his shoes and holding the door for sicheng to follow. ah, it’s taeil and yuta! that’s good, they’re considerably less chaotic – considering they’re just coddling mark on the sofa. sicheng glances at jungwoo in surprise, then politely bows a little. hellos are exchanged, but why is taeil looking at jungwoo funny? it’s not their first time meeting. 

 

yuta and taeil release mark from their hold as yukhei walks out of the bedroom, clutching a couple of dvds in his hands. he grins upon spotting jungwoo and sicheng, dropping the objects onto the coffee table before moving to press a kiss on jungwoo’s cheek. 

 

yukhei proceeds to pull yuta and taeil up from the sofa. “you guys haven’t met winwin yet right? introduce yourselves!” jungwoo looks on as taeil  returns sicheng’s previous bow  and smiles at him. 

 

“hi, i’m taeil, yukhei’s friend!”

 

the blond boy bows again. “hello, i’m-” sicheng’s self-introduction is abruptly cut short by a hand extended in front of him. 

  
“sicheng, right? i’m yuta, and it’s  _ very _ nice to meet you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this is very late and a whole ass filler but uh yeah here you go i hope the luwoo moments were cute enough bc we're both soulless (uwu)


	5. taeil

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “so,” taeil narrows his eyes, pointing his iced coffee at mark, “who’s this haechan? will i like him better than i like you?” the sudden flush across mark’s cheeks becomes painfully obvious, and taeil’s eyebrows (comically, yuta provides) disappear into his fringe.
> 
> the way mark mumbles, “i mean, i already like him more than i like either of you–” doesn’t go unnoticed either.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> we apologise for this overdue, short, and shittily-written chapter. please enjoy.
> 
> ([moodboard](https://hoodiehwi.tumblr.com/post/176912625760/star-blossom-five-taeil-so-taeil-narrows-his))

taeil leans back against the cushion of yukhei’s couch as the muted sounds of zootopia play in the background. yukhei and jungwoo, ever the polite hosts, sit cross-legged on the floor in front of their guests. (more like yukhei sits on the floor as jungwoo sits in his lap, the two intertwined within each other’s embrace.)

 

the youngest of the group has passed out on the armchair by the sofa, and taeil looks on as mark’s chest rises and falls slowly.

 

he registers movement from the corner of his eye, and looks over to see jungwoo lean over to whisper in yukhei’s ear. taeil feels a pang of something _soft_ in his chest, turning to find yuta dozing on the other side of the couch. sicheng sits in between them, focused on the talking rabbit on the screen.

 

—

 

taeil ought to know mandarin - angelic abilities and all that - but the truth is that he doesn’t, maybe because he gave up everything else to be able to understand yuta’s sleep talking in rapid japanese. but sicheng - though taeil doesn't know which characters the boy calls his own, much less know its meaning - _sicheng_ just feels _right_.

 

but the grounds sicheng has appeared on? this was supposed to be a simple trip. step one, find mark, step two, exchange exclamations of “hyung!” and “yes, mark”, step three, somehow help him out a little, yadda yadda yadda. simple. taeil and yuta were supposed to return to nasac headquarters with an unoccupied heart and no ongoing competitive bet between them.

 

(yuta claims that he can win sicheng over with only bad pickup lines. you’d think taeil would be willing to just let it slide because he's old and mature. well, no. he's getting his 150 dollars.)

 

(sorry, taeyong.)

 

_—_

 

“so,” taeil narrows his eyes, pointing his iced coffee at mark, “who’s this haechan? will i like him better than i like you?” the sudden flush across mark’s cheeks becomes painfully obvious, and taeil’s eyebrows (comically, yuta provides) disappear into his fringe.

 

the way mark mumbles, “i mean, i already like him more than i like either of you–” doesn’t go unnoticed either.

 

taeil and yuta somehow manage to turn to mark in synchrony, and they both offendedly stare at mark for a little while, watching him burn under their gaze. until taeil softens, and reaches out to pat mark on the shoulder.

 

“you like him. a lot. not that hard to tell,” he says, so simple and matter-of-fact mark couldn’t deny it even if he wanted. taeil doubts that mark would deny it, either way. it doesn’t take much to figure out his feelings - if _haechan_ already knows, taeil wouldn’t be surprised.

 

“that’s okay,” came yuta’s interjection, from where he was squinting into a shop window. “you’re pretty charming yourself. he works at his family’s bakery? great, find a way to get into the kitchen. crack eggs terribly because that’s what always happens to you. he’ll have to help you and boom, it’s a date. buy him flowers across the street and offer to treat him to ice cream as thanks. bam, it’s a second date. foolproof. hey, sicheng would look nice with this bracelet.”

 

 _sicheng would look nice regardless of the bracelet,_ taeil thinks.

 

“back to the topic at hand!” mark snapped his fingers twice. why was he blushing? “taeyong hyung rejected my answer, what am i supposed to do now?” he whined. yuta clears his throat loudly.

 

“kid,” he swivels on his heel dramatically to face mark. “you need to find something that truly _touches_ old man taeyong’s heart! he has to _feel_ for it, and call you, crying into the phone to come home. think about it, what does mister taeyong truly look for in life? other than jaehyun, i mean. his unsaid wishes - just so you know, i wish for a luxury penthouse located in the middle of new york, or anywhere, but it's preferable that sich-” taeil slaps a hand onto yuta’s mouth to shut him up.

 

“don’t listen to his bullshit. mark, haven’t you considered that maybe taeyong doesn’t like strawberry? you should go back to this _sugar fix_ place and check out another cake and gift _that_ to taeyong instead. i think jaehyun likes tiramisu, try that,” as taeil speaks, yuta moves to bite his hand. taeil retracts it instinctively, missing not one beat as he retaliates with a swipe to yuta’s shoulder.

 

“why don’t you just ask taeyong what he likes, directly? it’s not like he’d ignore his favourite rookie just for a dumb _punishment_ , and it’d make everything much simpler!” mark’s immediate “what about jeno” goes ignored as taeil barks, “ _nakamoto yuta,_ will you grow up?”

 

the two partners begin cuffing and smacking each other as mark’s eyes widen in understanding - or shock that his elders are unmercifully swiping at each other out on the streets. “thanks, hyung, i’ll text jaehyun now!” his words continues to go unnoticed, the supposedly more ‘mature’ hyungs busy fighting each other. mark pulls out his phone, mumbling, “where’s kun hyung when you need him the most?”

 

—

 

**save mark juseyo [9 members]**

**markers:** _@that one bread meme_ jae hyung!!

 **markers:** do u kno what type of.

 **markers:** sweets

 **markers:** tae hyung wld like?

 **markers:** also pls tell him to nv send yuta hyung n tail hyung ever again their just fghtng hahaha

 **satan in a bunny costume:** *they’re

 **eleven:** shut up doyoung

 **eleven:** tyong likes sherbet lemons that's why he's so sour

 **eleven:** unless jaehyun’s with him

 **eleven:** then yeah, whatever it is that has chocolate because jae likes chocolate

 **QIAN KUN:** How do you know that?

 **eleven:** synergy

 **eleven:** also how else is he going to balance out the sourness

 **jEnOpe:** hyung i thought u were the sour one

 **eleven:** bithc??

 **satan in a bunny costume:** GOOB JOB JENO KEEP DOING WHATEVER YOU’RE DOING

 **satan in a bunny costume:** HYUNG LOVES AND APPRECIATES YOU

 **markers:** uh

 **jEnOpe:** _@satan in a bunny costume_ thank yuwu

 **markers:** so

 **markers:** lemons n chocolate??

 **QIAN KUN:** Hm, I personally thought the Strawberry Shortcake was rather nice. However, from what Ten’s “synergy” says, it seems like a good idea to try lemons and chocolate.

 **QIAN KUN:** Also, I do not know what Yuta and Taeil hyung are getting up to, but please tell them to stop causing so much havoc. If they do not listen to you, tell them I said it.

 **it’s joHN SEOOOOOOO(na):** yes mom

 **markers:** yes mom

 **eleven:** yes mom

 **satan in a bunny costume:** yes mom

 **jEnOpe:** yes mom

 **moontail:** yes mom

 **octopus ball:** yes mom

 **QIAN KUN** : Come on guys, how many times must I say that I am NOT your mom.

 **that one bread meme:** ?? what’s going on

 **that one bread meme:** oh

 **that one bread meme:** yes mom

 **QIAN KUN:**.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> it gave us great pain to write kun's texts.


	6. chenle

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “you’re not watching,” jisung mumbles, lightly kicking chenle in the side without looking up at all. he’s right. jisung is rarely wrong about chenle.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [chapter moodboard!](https://yanchen-s.tumblr.com/post/178009483860/star-blossom-six-chenle-youre-not-watching)

no thanks, chenle wouldn't like for someone to throw open his door so violently it bounces off the wall it swings into and slams back closed. not at all, not during the hottest day of spring break, not at 2.43pm. 

 

as usual, no one cares about what he thinks, because jisung wrenches open the door and promptly yells in the direction of chenle's laptop while marching to where chenle is sprawled out on his bed. 

 

it takes a good fifteen seconds for jisung to run out of breath, and chenle fully utilises that fifteen seconds to eat another marshmallow and say, "you're three minutes late, it's hardly my fault i started first." jisung merely plops himself down by chenle's outstretched legs, and restarts the episode of black mirror, because jisung's insufferable like that.   
  
chenle doesn't complain. is it because it's jisung, jaemin asked, the previous time this happened and he'd just happened to be there. maybe, chenle considers. maybe, maybe not.

 

chenle knows that the friendship between their ragtag group of five was born from donghyuck’s tendency to grumble about the lack of whipped cream at the bakery to anyone and everyone, even the boy snipping at rose thorns behind the counter of the new flower shop. jisung seemed to frequent sugar fix more than necessary, and renjun and jaemin were neighbours. it, very simply, happened.

 

but not chenle. 

 

people assume that renjun brought chenle in. and while chenle does enjoy the company of someone else from home, it was  _ jisung _ . clumsy, clumsy jisung who hit chenle in the stomach when he was getting out of choir practice; but also jisung who never ceased to cast himself in a different light on the dance showcase stage. 

 

as dumb as it sounds, they tell people they connected the moment jisung’s arm was flung into chenle at maximum speed when he realised he walked in on choir doing voice warmups instead of the dance studio.

 

(don't ask about the specifics. chenle will start screaming in laughter, and jisung will hide in the nearest vacant room to avoid the topic.)

 

something about jisung makes memories blend together, chenle concludes, staring at the back of jisung’s head. chenle remembers what they got for donghyuck’s birthday three years back (3 cans of whipped cream, but they used one on hyuck’s face), remembers the names of the pet fish he had when he was five (tom and jerry, rest in peace), remembers the first thing he ate at sugar fix (a lemon meringue pie, it was good). 

 

but with jisung chenle never can quite recall - when did this “watching netflix together every thursday” thing begin? since when did jisung start getting tiramisus instead of red velvet cakes at sugar fix? chenle once thought that he was simply a bad friend. but he knows now, knows that the best of friends live knowing that there will be more memories to come. 

 

like renjun and jaemin, who seem to never get tired of naming new bouquets after customers and friends and teachers and family (by now there have been 5 jisungs and 3 chenles, and they're all baby’s breaths and lavenders and daisies).

 

or sicheng and jungwoo – the graduated choir senior – who have spent the whole of spring break so far sitting in sugar fix, bickering over whether it is anatomically natural for one to be able to lick their elbow. (chenle says no, it isn't, jisung’s noodle arms are mutated or something, no one should be able to do  _ that _ ). 

 

it was like that with jisung too. with jisung, moments crossfaded into each other, like they were a rehearsed, programmed sequence simply waiting to happen.

 

“you’re not watching,” jisung mumbles, lightly kicking chenle in the side without looking up at all. he’s right. jisung is rarely wrong about chenle.

 

—

 

thursday afternoon, again, except this time it’s chenle who’s standing in jisung’s nice garden and waiting for jisung to clatter down the stairs. he does, after two minutes, laptop in his arms. jisung’s eyes are shining through his too-long bangs, and chenle raises an eyebrow, knowing he’s found something new.

 

“no black mirror today, comrade. it’s theory time,” jisung grins, and chenle’s now being dragged through the corridors and up the stairs.

 

“so,” jisung’s still smiling like he did the day he got min, “i’ve got it.”

 

_ what _ , chenle barely registers, and then he blurts out, “how did you blow my cover?” jisung simply throws a pillow at chenle without missing a beat. 

 

“not you, what cover? covering up your identity as the most annoying short person in the world? it’s not working. i’m talking about mystery minhyung hyung, you know, the one that did some kind of funky magic thing and brought min back? yeah. i’m sure i’ve got what he is.” 

 

the dog in question is now scratching at the door and whining, so jisung gets up and lets him into the room.

 

ah, chenle’s got it now. he pretends he didn’t hear jisung’s comment about himself, hands occupied by min and his tendency to lick at chenle’s face.

 

“listen, there’s no other explanation! what kind of normal person just lays a hand on something that’s - yikes, this sounds really bad -  _ dying _ and just gets the thing to run around like nothing happened?”

 

“he could be a sorcerer, i mean, “healing” abilities aren’t exactly an exclusively-” 

 

jisung interrupts chenle’s process of comprehension with a loud shout. “but no, private zhong, as the sole witness of this  _ spectacular, amazing, never before, miraculous, unique _ incident i testify that _ - _ ”

 

“get to the point!”

 

“he was  _ glowing _ , chenle! brighter than my phone screen when you text me at 2am asking how pears would look with eyebrows!” min yaps at an invisible bird outside the window, and the two boys fall into silence.

 

chenle knows min was so sick he’d barely been able to stand, knows jisung was devastated. and chenle knows jisung isn’t one to lie so blatantly, so he says, “comrade. i think you may be onto something now. i do think so.”

 

—

 

**spare the strawberries [5 members]**

 

**park godsung:** yALL

**park godsung:** WE FIGURED IT OUT

**(ba)nana:** ???

**(ba)nana:** what

**(ba)nana:** if it’s the answers to the damn trig worksheet please send them to me

**screeching:** we aren’t even in your grade

**(ba)nana:** someone...anyone...please…

**(ba)nana:** i hate triangles

**hYUCK:** no more sandwiches for you!

( **ba)nana:** ever heard of: uncut sandwiches

**hYUCK:** no more doritos!

**(ba)nana:** NO

**park godsung:** GUYS PLEASE

**hYUCK:** spill, devil spawns

**screeching:** remember jisung’s mystery minhyung hyung

**hYUCK:** no

**(ba)nana:** no

**injunnie uwu:** no

**screeching:** the one that revived min

**(ba)nana:** oh

**hYUCK:** what 

**park godsung:** DRUMROLL

**injunnie uwu:** no

**screeching:** /DRUMROLL!/

**park godsung:** HE’S

**park godsung:** HE’S

**park godsung:** HE’S

**hYUCK:** CAN YOU HURRY MY MOM IS NAGGING BUT I WANT TO KNOW

**park godsung:** AN ANGEL

**injunnie uwu:** dear god not again

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this one’s bad because jess wrote it and she and her reluctance to use commas and full stops is just as insufferable as 3 minutes late jisung


End file.
